I see this development with something approaching satisfaction:
Women are wearing ‘safety layers’ over their outfits to deter ‘creepy’ men – with many labeling it ‘sad but necessary’.
Let me get all the stipulations out of the way, first.
Yes, I agree that womyns should be able to wear what they want. Yes, I agree that womyns should be “body proud” to bolster their self-esteem. Yes, I agree that (in this respect anyway) Men Are Pigs and shouldn’t respond to scantily-clad womyns with catcalls, wolf whistles and overt sexual behavior (groping, etc.), not to mention trying to sneak some “upskirt pics” (which is really unacceptable).
However:
If womyns are going to dress like prostitutes, please understand that while men like myself can simply appreciate the female form as an object of beauty, Not All Men Are Like That and some may regard displays of flesh and the female form as sex objects. Yes, their behavior is to be deplored.
But, in the words of some wise man, and according to sound marketing principle:
If the goods aren’t for sale, don’t put them in the window.
I hate to sound old-fashioned, but there’s this word… wait, it’ll come to me… give me a moment, what was it again? Oh yeah:
Now I know that the word has been abused, most notably by the radical religionists (Puritans, Muslims an other assholes of that ilk), and if applied to its extreme, you get shunning, niqabs, mercy killings and so on. All bad things.
But can we at least agree that somewhere between this:
and this:
…there lies an expansive area wherein womyns can dress in a non-provocative fashion that is still… sexy, without being overly provocative?
I often use Brit-TV hottie and uber-MILF Charlotte Hawkins as an example of stylishness and sexiness, because she is most often seen in public dressed, ummm stylishly and sexily. This does not means she can’t go deep, so to speak:
…but only when the occasion calls for it, i.e. when display is called for, in a secure environment so to speak.
I know, all this is Not Fair To Women etc., but can we at least try to live in the real world, and not in some ur-feminist fantasy?
Modesty works, ladies, and you need to dial Teh Sexeh back a tad when you’re out in the public eye.